“Everyone, just a few more nights of hard work. The boss said once this order is done, she’ll give us New Year’s leave and a year-end bonus.”
Ye Youchun moved through the various work areas, relaying Xie Yushu’s message to everyone.
Cheers and whoops of joy erupted. They jostled each other, smiles spreading across every face.
They’d been working like crazy lately, but their wages had doubled. Everyone was already deeply grateful to their boss. Now hearing that she’d also give them time off and extra pay—they didn’t know what to say.
All they felt was how lucky they were to have such a wonderful boss.
Not only that—when they worked late, the boss also provided them with late-night snacks, saying they deserved to eat well after all their hard work.
She never skimped on food—not only did they eat well during the day, but their evening meals were satisfying too.
These past few nights, the food had all been made by the boss’s fulang himself. He’d prepare it at home, either fully cooked or half-done, then have Ye Youchun bring it over—she was staying late to work anyway.
If it was noodles, he’d roll and cut them, placing them in a basket, with the meat sauce and broth in separate large jars. Once at the base, Xiu He would boil the noodles, serve a bowl to each person, add two spoonfuls of meat sauce, and pair it with a bowl of soup—stir and eat.
A few nights ago, they’d had shredded pork in rich sauce over noodles—the dark, glossy sauce clinging to each strand, making it look irresistible. Paired with fresh goji leaf and pork organ soup or lean meat soup, many couldn’t get enough and went back for seconds without a second thought.
Flatbreads were also easy to transport—Su Chi stacked them layer by layer, wrapped them in oiled paper, and included small jars of pickled vegetables to go along.
Last night, it was cured meat flatbreads—one big piece per person. The crust was golden and crispy, filled with diced cured meat—fat and lean perfectly balanced. The smoky aroma hit you right away, and each bite oozed with oil. Paired with crunchy pickled vegetables, it was pure satisfaction.
Tonight, they were having the specialty of the boss’s fulang’s shop—a rare treat.
Each person got a large bowl of steaming fresh pork wontons, the broth milky and rich. The wontons were plump and chewy, and floating on top were shreds of the dried laver they’d produced themselves—black and glossy, adding an extra layer of umami. Two perfectly marinated five-spice eggs and two big, meaty buns completed the meal.
One bowl warmed you all the way through—hands and feet toasty, a light sweat on the forehead. The warmth lasted until bedtime.
After eating, they quieted down and returned to their stations, heads down, working hard. That warmth spread from their stomachs to their fingertips, making their movements quicker and more efficient.
During the late shifts, torches blazed in the middle and around the yard, lighting up the whole area. People moved briskly back and forth—not eerie at all in the quiet village, but rather filled with a cozy, warm liveliness.
·
At the Xie household.
The courtyard gate stood wide open, as did the kitchen door. Su Chi, apron tied on, bustled in and out, not even having time for a sip of water.
He’d been home the past two days, unable to tend to the shop, because Xie Yushu had given him extra money to prepare the “employee benefits” for the New Year.
She’d explained what “employee benefits” meant: on special occasions like the approaching New Year, as bosses, they should reward their hardworking employees to encourage them to work even better in the coming year.
Su Chi’s eyes lit up at the idea—that made perfect sense. His wife was so clever; she’d said exactly what was on his mind. He would prepare something for Chen Fulang too.
Xie Yushu also told him the “benefits” could be food, rice, oil, or salt—anything the workers needed in daily life. She’d leave the arrangement to him.
Given such an important task, Su Chi felt a deep sense of responsibility, as if Xie Yushu had placed great trust in him. He took the money with a serious expression, determined to do it well.
Fortunately, the shop was in Chen Fulang’s capable hands, so he felt at ease. These past few days, he’d been preparing the year-end “employee benefits” for the base workers.
There were now eighteen workers at the base, so he needed to prepare eighteen portions—no small amount.
Su Chi spent a whole night figuring out exactly what to put in the “benefits.” Xie Yushu praised his thoughtfulness and attention to detail after hearing his plan.
The next day, Su Chi spent the whole day shopping around town, comparing prices.
Since he was buying in bulk and paying promptly, every shop owner gave him a good deal. They’d see him off with smiles and even have their goods delivered to his home so he wouldn’t have to carry them himself.
Rice, oil, salt, and flour were essential—one ten-jin bag of white flour and polished rice per person, a jar of cooking oil, half a jar of salt, and half a jar of sugar—all quality items everyone needed.
He also had to include some substantial dishes. Su Chi planned to make braised duck—a dish that could hold its own on any family’s New Year’s Eve table.
He’d gone to the market early to order ten plump ducks, having the butcher slaughter and pluck each one, leaving the innards intact and delivered to the Xie household.
Half a duck per person—that would use up nine, with one left for their own family.
He also bought several slabs of fresh pork and a basket of crisp radishes, for making crispy meatballs and radish shred balls.
The dozens of bolts of fabric and cartload of seasoning supplies were all delivered to the Xie household’s doorstep, and Su Chi counted and received each one. Now the courtyard was piled high with goods.
To get everything done, Su Chi had enlisted the help of two neighbors—Zheng fulang and Zhang fulang.
Neither of them was the gossiping type—they didn’t ask unnecessary questions and worked efficiently. With them helping, the work went much faster.
They watched Su Chi’s hands fly as he processed ingredients, momentarily dumbfounded.
Did the Xie fulang even need their help?
Su Chi smiled gently at them, signaling them to get started, and they snapped out of it. Soon, the courtyard was filled with the sounds of busy work.
The salted duck eggs had been cured a few days earlier and were now perfectly creamy. He’d prepared a whole basket of them, aiming for ten per person.
Ever since Xie Yushu had given him the task of preparing the New Year benefits, Su Chi had been completely focused on it—even his cooking for her had become a bit rushed, not as meticulous as before.
Fortunately, Xie Yushu didn’t say anything.
Su Chi figured she’d just been too busy lately—she’d been looking stern and hadn’t teased him as much. It made him uneasy, and he planned to comfort her properly when she came home tonight.
But he couldn’t stop working. The base’s New Year break was only a couple of days away, and he needed to finish in time.
Winter days darkened quickly, and before long, the lane was shrouded in dusk. Su Chi and the two fulang worked well into the evening.
Once things were mostly wrapped up, Su Chi paid them their wages and gave each an extra bowl of braised duck gizzards. They took their pay and food with cheerful smiles and left.
Su Chi cleaned the yard alone until it was neat and tidy again. Before he could catch his breath, he heard the rattle of carriage wheels and the neighing of horses outside the gate. His face lit up, and he hurried out to greet them.
As he stepped out, he saw Xie Yushu jumping down from the carriage. Su Chi wiped his hands on his apron, exchanged a greeting with Ye Youchun up front, then took Xie Yushu’s hand and led her into the yard.
Beaming, he asked, “Was the carriage comfortable?”
Xie Yushu was still stewing over that night when Su Chi had grieved for the original owner’s past. She was still sour about it. With a straight face, she answered flatly: “Of course it’s comfortable.”
Instead of being pleased, Su Chi felt guilty: “I should have had Youchun rent one earlier. You wouldn’t have had to endure all that cold wind. At least you’re okay.”
Xie Yushu, still nursing her private grudge, replied stiffly: “I’m not that delicate.”
She’d always spoken to Su Chi with warmth, never raising her voice—never like this, so brusque. Su Chi was taken aback; the unfamiliar tone made him uneasy. He quickly assumed she was displeased because he’d underestimated her.
He immediately softened his voice to soothe her: “Alright, alright—you’re a woman, naturally stronger. I misspoke.”
Hearing Su Chi gently trying to appease her, his soft apologies, Xie Yushu felt even worse.
She was the one being unreasonable, jealous for no reason, yet Su Chi was the one tiptoeing around her. Her throat tightened, a heavy ache in her chest. She hastily changed the subject: “What’s for dinner tonight?”
“Something simple—I made a pot of tofu and fish soup noodles,” Su Chi said, relieved to see her expression ease slightly, and continued, “It’ll be the New Year in a few days. We can pick up Father and have something really good then.”
Xie Yushu had no objections: “Whatever you say.”
Throughout dinner, it was Su Chi doing all the talking—telling her what he’d done that day. Xie Yushu only responded with monosyllables—”Mm,” “Okay.”
Su Chi noticed. He talked slower and slower, then stopped altogether.
Seeing that Xie Yushu hadn’t said a word all through the meal, his anxiety grew.
He’d already sensed something was off with her mood these past two days, and now the feeling was even stronger.
Worried, Su Chi stared at her intently, his anxious gaze fixed on her face, as if trying to read something from her expressionless features.
She… wasn’t smiling today. She was always smiling at him.
Su Chi felt a pang of hurt.
Xie Yushu, feeling the intensity of his gaze, finally spoke the first words of the meal: “What’s wrong?”
“You’ve looked off these past two days. Have you not been sleeping well? Or are you just too tired during the day?” Seeing her like this, Su Chi lost all appetite. He set down his chopsticks and cupped her face anxiously, examining her closely.
She felt self-conscious under his scrutiny and lowered her hands—but didn’t pull away. Su Chi’s palms were warm against her face, his expression full of concern.
But only she knew the guilt and awkwardness in her heart.
“It’s nothing—just tired,” she lied, knowing Su Chi would never doubt her. “You know how busy the base has been lately.”
Su Chi was deeply worried and instinctively softened his tone: “Then take a couple of days to rest, alright? I won’t go to the shop either—I’ll stay home with you.”
He was aching with worry.
Spoiled brat.
Xie Yushu muttered a little complaint to herself.
Ever since they’d married, Su Chi had become more and more clingy—and she simply couldn’t resist him. If not for her petty jealousy these past two days, she’d have pounced on him and held him tight already.
But instead, she had to keep a straight face, pretending to be tired and continuing her act, terrified he might notice something was wrong. She hated that this stubborn feeling wouldn’t just fade away.
When it was time for bed, Su Chi emerged from the warm room early, having made himself smell lovely, and lay down obediently waiting for her. The candlelight made his fair face glow, soft with a man’s natural gentleness.
Xie Yushu came out too. She’d planned to just pull back the covers and lie down, give herself a couple of days to let this inexplicable resentment pass, and sleep stiffly without holding Su Chi. But the moment she lay down, she felt a weight on her chest.
She opened her eyes to see Su Chi bracing his hands on her chest, his cheeks flushed pink. Shyly, he leaned down to press against her lightly. Before she could react, their lips met softly.
Though Su Chi had been kissed by her countless times, when he kissed her, it was like his first—clumsy and unpolished, nibbling and licking without rhythm, sometimes hard, sometimes soft, like a cat awkwardly grooming.
She thought hazily—Su Chi just wanted to use his warmth to chase away her exhaustion.
Soon, the warm, wet sensation on her lips made her lose all reason. Without hesitation, she flipped their positions, pinning him beneath her, cupping his face and kissing him urgently.
The moment her lips met Su Chi’s soft ones, all that jealousy and resentment flew out the window—she tossed those toxic feelings clean out of the lane.
The frustration that had built up over two days vanished in an instant.
She suddenly understood.
Su Chi grieved for the original owner because he loved her—this person. If the original Xie Yushu had been someone else, Su Chi wouldn’t have cared at all.
It was because it was her—Xie Yushu herself.
In the end, Su Chi simply loved her to pieces.
With that thought, she’d talked herself out of her mood. She pulled him closer and kissed him harder, as if trying to make up for all the lost intimacy of the past two days.
“No—I have to go to the base tomorrow to hand out the New Year things,” Su Chi said, flushed, pushing her away between breaths. “At least… at least wait until tomorrow.”
Xie Yushu didn’t care about tomorrow or the day after. She wanted him, and she got him.
Su Chi’s protests grew fainter. He couldn’t refuse her advances at all. His beautiful eyes were misty and wet, and he didn’t pull away—only clutched the hem of her clothes tighter, letting his wife have her way, sinking deeper with her into boundless abandon.
·
The next morning, the remaining orders at the base were all completed by noon. The warehouse stock had been hauled to the ferry and loaded onto ships, and the drying kilns were banked.
Xie Yushu gathered her subordinates in the middle of the yard, said a few simple words, and began handing out the New Year benefits.
When she and Su Chi had come by carriage, they’d brought everything with them—enough to fill the whole carriage.
Su Chi’s preparations were thorough: baskets of crispy fried meatballs, fried radish shred balls, salted duck eggs, and stacks of seasonings and fabric piled high in the yard.
These were all simple village folk—they’d never seen anything like this. They were stunned, whispering among themselves:
“All this… is for us?”
“And fabric and oil too—the boss is so generous.”
He Chao stepped forward to organize them: “One share per person. Line up.”
Su Chi and He Chao handed out the items one by one as Xiu He recorded names with a brush.
“This is yours.”
“Thank you, Fulang.”
Everyone received their share—the mountain of goods was completely distributed.
Ten salted duck eggs, two cured fish, half a braised duck, a bag of fine rice and white flour, a jar of cooking oil, a packet of brown sugar, a packet of red dates, half a bolt of cotton cloth, a bolt of linen, and two packages of fried meatballs—all everyday necessities, nothing left out.
After the goods were handed out, it was Xie Yushu’s turn to give out wages.
On top of their accumulated wages, each person received an extra hundred wen as a year-end bonus.
Everyone accepted their armloads of goods with beaming faces, pockets heavy with wages—too happy to speak.
“Thank you, boss. Thank you, Fulang.” Words of gratitude echoed long over the base’s empty yard.
“Go on, then. Head home and have a good New Year. I’ll let you know when to return,” Xie Yushu said, waving them off.
After the others left, Xie Yushu gave the original four workers a little extra in goods and money—they’d come early, worked hard, and Xie Yushu remembered. It was only right.
With Xiu He and Xin Miao looking after the yard, she felt at ease. The two families would have company celebrating together.
With that big task finally done, Xie Yushu let out a breath of relief. She took Su Chi’s hand, helped him into the carriage, and sprang up after him.
Ye Youchun flicked the reins and drove the carriage at a leisurely pace. The wheels rumbled over the country path, carrying the three of them back toward town in a gentle sway.
The villages along the way already carried the feel of the New Year—the aroma of fried rice cakes and cured meat drifting from the houses.
The scent of the approaching holiday grew ever closer.
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